I love eating out and trying new foods. I also love that it’s completely possible to eat well at many restaurants, with new menu items popping up all.of.the.time. From chain restaurants to the small ma and pa cafe’s, I thought it would be fun to include some of the healthy options/requests/orders that are available out there.

Today, I stopped in at Panera Bread, which is one of my favorite places to eat when I’m out and about.

U-Pick-2 Option: Black Bean Soup. Classic Salad. Whole Grain Baguette (that’s a special request, as the order will automatically deliver a white baguette unless you ask.)

It’s delicious. Filling. Soul satisfying.

I only wish I knew what the secret was to their black bean soup (there’s cumin, red onions and black beans in there, and that is all I know!)

When I’m dining out, I like to include some protein (i.e., black bean soup), vegetables (i.e., salad) and a whole grain if possible (i.e., whole grain baguette.) These three combined, along with a little fat (i.e., fat used in making soup and/or salad dressing) keeps me deliciously full for hours.

It also gives me plenty of energy to shop, shop, shop. Which is exactly what I did all day. 😀

QUESTION: What is your favorite “chain restaurant”? I’m a big fan of Panera and the Cheesecake Factory.

It gives me the chance to break away from the day’s routine. No matter how dull, unorganized, crazy busy, boring, exciting, routine, ________ (fill in the blank) the day is, lunch is that pivotal point that can instantly turn the day around.

It takes just one hunk of dark chocolate. Or a yogurt parfait. Or a hunk of your favorite bread.

And there you go. You’ve just turned the day around.

Just like a day old bologna sandwich with half melted cheese can ruin a perfectly fine day…

(FYI, I still have nightmares of that bologna sandwich from long ago…true story.)

I like to make lunch all about the vegetables.

So that at the end of the day, if there’s a sudden shift in plans (to the pizza barn we go!) or I randomly don’t feel like cooking (cold cereal!), I already have a nice big bundle of fiber-rich vegetables under my belt. Already consumed. Fueling me through the afternoon. Filling me up with all kinds of nutrients.

It just feels good.

Sometimes (most times) that means a really large salad. Never made the same way twice because there are so many options to be had!

Some days, this means a nice big bowl of leftover vegetable soup.

Or an open faced sandwich with hummus and plenty of shredded veggies on top.

Really. However you look at it. Lunch has the full potential to completely turn your day around.

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Garden Minestrone Soup–slightly modified from the original version seen previously on The Flying Onion.

I went for a nice long walk around the nearby lake today, and I experienced this vivid flashback of when I used to go fishing with my dad.

Floating on trusty ol’ Rita–our big green canoe–we would paddle our way to the middle of some lake and then we’d just sit there. We’d sit there for hours and hours with our fishing rods, waiting patiently until we felt the gentle tug of a fish.

(or a floating piece of seaweed…oops!)

We’d spend the day swatting at pesky mosquitoes and talking about nothing and everything all at once. We’d watch dragon flies skim above the mirrored sheets of water, the sun reflecting colorful sparkles off of their shimmery wings.

As a 10 year old girl hanging out with her dad, I was convinced that each delicious moment was just a tiny speck of what heaven would someday feel like. The perfect time of day. Feeling nothing but happiness. And, probably, spending time talking to God about nothing and everything all at once.

Heaven.

And really, at the end of the day, it didn’t really matter if dad and I went home with trout or without.

It was the experience.

It was delicious.

And it had (absolutely) nothing to do with the fish.

Fast forward 14 years. I became a dietitian, promoting fish and all of its health benefits and how delicious it can be and so on and so forth.

But, well, here’s the clinker…

I don’t really like fish very much.

Wild caught salmon, yes. I could eat that every single day of my life and never grow tired of it.*

*this is not at all an exaggeration

But all the other fish, like halibut and haddock and cod and pollock?

Meh…

(unless it’s fried, but what *doesn’t* taste good when it’s been batter dipped and deep fried? Honestly?)

Maybe you’re like me. You could take fish or leave it, but you’d still like to make it a bigger part of your diet.

You could just douse your fish in butter and breadcrumbs, but that sort of negates the whole “heart healthy” point of eating more fish. Better saved for those special occasions, “once in a whiles,” or eating out.

Salsa and avocado, however, add flavor AND health benefits. An easy way to sneak in that extra dose of veggies and some heart healthy fats.

I really do find most white fish to be lacking in flavor, which is just one of the reasons why I lean more towards cooking with salmon.

Add a zing of fresh salsa and avocado (and maybe a splash of lime!), however, and tada!

Dinner becomes delicious.

Most grocery stores carry the fresh salsas like this one in the refrigerated cases of the produce department. Nestled deep somewhere between the tofu and the alfalfa sprouts, and sometimes near the refrigerated salad dressings.

And since you can recreate almost any meal with nothing but a scoop of fresh salsa, I’d say it’s worth seeking out.

Salsa and Avocado
(Serves 2)

Pollock fillets were on sale this past week, and it just so happens that I had a tub of salsa to use up. Perfecto!

This super simple salsa, however, also goes well on marinated tofu steaks, grilled chicken breasts and thin slices of lean steak. Or, you could just serve it with some black beans and tortilla chips for a tasty afternoon snack. Enjoy!

1/3 cup fresh salsa

1/2 avocado, diced

fresh lemon juice

black pepper

cilantro (optional)

Combine ingredients together. Serve immediately.

QUESTION: Do you eat much fish on a regular basis? What are you favorite kinds/recipes? I’m not a big fish person, but I do love fish tacos, wild caught salmon and manhattan styled fish chowders. 😀

My eyes are starting to burn. My throat feels like pea soup. A 3-mile run left me beat.

Tonight, I didn’t even cook.

I just threw some Dr. Praegger’s veggie burgers on the pan along with some whole wheat hamburger buns.

Nothing pretty. Nothing fancy.

Just simple and tasty.

With a little last-minute help from the broiler. 😉

With all these colds and flu’s floating around, I wanted to share some tips on how to stay healthy through the cold and flu season.

Of course, there’s no guarentee that these things will keep you from getting sick (cough, cough…obviously!…cough, cough,) but they sure do help.

Did you know that having just one mild vitamin deficiency can make all the difference in having a great versus a poor immune system?

While many people turn to supplements (or gallons and gallons of orange juice,) there’s no prescription quite like an overall healthy diet filled with plenty of whole grains, dark green veggies, legumes, fish, yellow fruits and veggies, etc. Getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated, and getting a daily dose of exercise are also key in keeping your body healthy and protected. It won’t prevent you from ever getting sick, but it will provide defense and it will help you get better quicker.

In other words, don’t want until you get sick (or start popping those vitamin C pills!) to fight back. Feed your body what it needs with real, nutrient dense foods and it will reward you with good health.

When you do get sick, continue eating well. Take light walks as you’re able. And forget those vitamin C pills! Although this is an important vitamin in keeping a healthy immunity, there has been no proven benefit to overdosing on this vitamin; one orange will provide almost your entire day’s intake of vitamin C.

Feed your body well. It knows how to take care of itself. 😉

QUESTION: How do you “fight back” when you get the cold/flu? I try to stay well hydrated and well nourished. I also absolutely crave oranges, tea and veggies when I’m sick. And, unless I’m really sick, I find that small walks throughout the day make me feel eons better. 😀

Many people wonder if coconut is okay to eat or not, so here’s my gist of it all…

More and more studies are showing that not all saturated fats are created equal, and when it comes to coconut, the fats appear to be on the good side.

Although the studies are still in their infancy stages, and although I would still recommend moderation when it comes to eating coconut, coconut is made up mostly of what’s called “medium chain fatty acids.” That is, the fat is small enough that it can be absorbed directly into our body and it can be used as energy, without the need to be further broken down or carried through the lymphatic system in our bodies.

The theory, then, is that coconut is good for us in moderation, just like all fats. Some studies have even shown a rise in women’s good cholesterol when they used coconut oil over sunflower oil.

That’s good news for us coconut lovers. 😉

When I asked what I should do with the big bag of coconut that’s fallen into my lap, someone mentioned that I should make coconut macaroons.

And. Well.

That’s how this recipe started out.

But then the melted chocolate didn’t really melt all the way, and after my initial gruff reaction, this kind of left me excited.

Because there were big chunks of chocolate and I thought it might be good to just put the coconut on the outside as a garnish and leave the chocolaty chunks well enough alone.

This left me with two chocolate bites for after dinner tonight…

…a couple more frozen ones for tomorrow night…

…and lots (lots, lots, lots!!) of coconut left to play with for next week’s breakfasts and dinners and everything else in between.

I used salted almond butter, but if you have an unsalted variety, just add a pinch of sea salt if desired. These are so rich that one or two will satisfy. Save the leftovers for the next night (provided you manage to keep other family members away!) 😉

1/4 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

3 tsp olive oil

3 tsp almond butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon + pinch of ginger if desired

shredded, unsweetened coconut

Rinse a glass bowl with water and place on table without wiping dry. Add chocolate chips and place in microwave for 15 seconds. Stir and return for another 5-10 seconds if needed.

Add oil, almond butter and spices, stirring well until smooth and it begins to form a ball. Dough will be very soft!

Scoop onto waxed paper, sprinkle with coconut and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Store on waxed paper in sealed container, in fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

QUESTION: When it comes to chocolate, are you more attracted to dark and rich or milky and sweet? I tend to mostly go for the dark, but occasionally I like a bit of something milky!

The dietitian side of me is always curious to see what other people are eating on a daily basis, so I figured that it might be fun to have a day of showing what I’m eating from morning till night.

Some days are different (i.e., I like ice cream and french fries too!) but for the most part, this is a pretty typical pattern.

Especially the night time chocolate snack, which is an absolute MUST. Chocolate has heart health benefits and it keeps my cravings at bay. So yes. That makes chocolate a must, must, must in my life. 😉

7:00am Breakfast

Breakfast this morning was 1/4 cup oatmeal cooked with 1 cup water and lots of spice, in the form of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. I cooked the oats for about 3 minutes in the microwave, with 1/2 a banana. The other half was served on top, along with 2 Tbsp. almond butter.

Plus a glass of vanilla soy milk on the side for some extra protein and a calcium boost.

8:00am Break

Gotta get my daily coffee fix!

I used to only drink sweetened coffee until discovering that the sweetness of soy milk was enough to satisfy me. And now I’m turned on to unsweetened almond milk, which gives the coffee a nice nutty flavor (without any added sweeteners.)

10:30am Break

A cup of apple spiced tea after a brisk 45 minute morning walk.

11:00am Lunch

Grocery shopping came later in the afternoon, which meant I had to (literally) scrounge around the fridge to make today’s lunch.

Thankfully, there were plenty of mixed greens left, so I had a large plate of that with a diced carrot, about 1/4 cup salsa, 1/2 cup beans, 2 Tbsp walnut pieces and 2 Wasa Sourdough crackers crumbled on top. Lemon juice and fresh black pepper completed the deal for a surprisingly satisfying (and filling!) lunch.

3:00pm Snack

There’s something about a parfait that makes everything seem so special. Something about spooning crunchy sweet bits of berries, granola and yogurt out of a large jar that is just so irresistibly fun!

QUESTION: Do your days seem to follow a pretty “set” pattern as far as your eating habits go? I don’t follow any hard and fast rules but I will almost always (1) have some form of produce with each snack/meal, (2) have a piece of some form of dark chocolate and (3) eat every 3-4 hours to keep my metabolism humming and to keep feelings of starvation away. These simple three guidelines keep me happy. 😀